Sightob oe one-hale to david hunter



Aug. 31 Q1926. 1,598,471

T. A. WILLIAMS CAR TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21, 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 1XNVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 31 1926. 1,598,471

T. A. WILLIAMS CAR TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21. 1925 i I "if:

7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Aug. 31, 1926. 1,598,471

T. A. WILLIAMS CAR TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21, 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 5Mffl'iiz'azw INVEN OR ATTORNEY Aug. 31 1926.

T. A. WMLLIIAMS GAR TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21, 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet4 JIJ I I I 1 1,1111 1 ATTORN EY Aug. 31,1926. 1,598,471

- T. A. WILLIAMS CAR TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21, 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet5 INVENTUR 1,598,471 T. A. WILLIAMS CAR TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21,1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 A'ITORN EY T. A. WILLIAMS GAR TOP CONSTRUCTIONFiled Dec. 21. 192 '7 Sheets-Sheetllillllllllll|I|lilllflfllllll'lllllllit-IIll llilllllllilllllliall wwnxATTORNEY Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

Lauren srnrss rarest err memes ANDREVJ WILLIAMS, or wnitrn' sunrnnnsrnIiqe-s, weer vinernrri, As-

sIGNoR 0F ONE-HALF T0 DAVID rrnju'rnn, or 'WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, wnsrVIRGINIA.

GAR-TOP CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed December 21, 192-5.

along the sides of the car, and which, when in normal POSllJlOliWllleffectively protect the contents oil the car from weather conditions orfrom thefts.

still further object is the provision of a root for open-top cars thatis made up of metal slats which are hin cdly connected together in anovel manner and which conipi es two sections, each movable into apocket at the sides of the car when not in use or when in inoperativeposition, each of 5. id sections having their outer or end slatsprovidrd with arace hoard having edges which, intercngage when broughttogether, suitable guide means being provided for the root sections andsii'uple hut efiiective means being also provided for raising the roofsections to operative positions or for permitting the said sections togravitate into their pockets ween not required for use.

it still tl'urther ohject is the provision of a rooii tor open-top carsoi a construction which foray he readily applied to any ordinary type ofcars and which, when in operativc position, will shed water from thecars, protect the same from flying cinders, prevent the spilling oi thecontents of the car in. case oi 'YVl'OCrI-S and likewise insure thecmrtcnts oi the car from theft.

'lo the attainment of the foregoing objects and others which will appearas the nature ot the invention is better understood, the 1iurproveu'u-ntfurther resides in certain novel 'lmttlllU-ES of construction,coinl'iination and o uurativc association of. parts, satisfactoryembodiments of which being set forth in the 'lollowing description,illustrated by the accompanying drawings and pointed out withparticularity in the appended claims.

in the drawings I. ure 1 is a side elevation of a gondola hasi u a topthereon in accordance with this invention. i i I Figure 2 is a top planview thereof, with the sections of the top in inoperative position.

lligure 3 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 33oil Figure 1.

sides 12.

Serial No. 76,865.

Figure 4: is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view approximately on theline irl oi Figure 1.

.iiigure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure l.

l igure G is a bottom plan view oi three 01 the connected slats.

Figure 7 is a detail transverse sectional view through one 01" thetracks to illustrate the manner in which a slat of a roof section isguided thereover and held from longitudinal n'iovelnent thereon.

li igure 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of a gondola car providedwith a root made up 0" sections of a less length than that disclosed inFigures 1 and 2.

lligure 9 a top plan view of an open our having sectional. tracks forthe slidabie root,

Figure 10 is a sectional view on the line lOlO of Figure 9 with the rootin raised or operative position.

Figure 11. is a sectional view on the line l1l1 of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a view lookin g toward one end Oil the car.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 oi the drawings, the numeral 1 designates anordinary open-top car of the gondola type which is usually employed forhauling coal or the like.

In carrying out my invention I ii); on the inner face, adjacent to thesides of the car 1, longitudinally extending partitions 2. Preterably,the partitions are made up of inc/rail plates that have their lower endsflanged, as at and the said flanges are formed with downturucdextensions 4L that are riveted or otherwise secured to the sides of thecar. The partitions 2 provide pockets 5 at the sides oi the car. Theinner walls or plati 2 or? the partitions terminate in a line with theopen top oi the car.

On the ends of the car l arrange arched housings 6. Each of the housingsincludes angle side portions and a straigl'it top portion 8. The outerfaces of the housings are closed, the said faces being in the nature ofplates 9 but the inner faces of the housings are open. On the open innerface of each housing there'is secured a guide rail 10. The guide rail.is shaped compleniental to the outer surface of the housing. that is,each guide rail includes a straight top portion ll. and downwardlyinclined. The portions 11 and 12 oi the rails at the juncture thereof,are rounded, which is true with respect to the inwardly directed flangeor top of the housings 6. Each rail has an inner outwardly extendingflange 13, and its flat surface beyond said flange is formed withpockets in each of which there is journaled an anti frictional roller14. Outward of the pockets each rail is depressed, the inner wallprovided by the said depression forming a shoulder which is indicated bythe numeral 15.

The roof for the car is made up of two oppositely disposed sections.Each of these sections is similarly constructed. Each section is made upof metal slats, and each slat includes a curved body 16 that has itsends rounded in opposite directions, as at 17 and 18, respectirely. Therounded or lipped portions 17 of one slat is designed to be received inthe rounded or lipped portion 18 of the adjacent cooperating slat. Eachslat on its inner face, adjacent to its outer lip 17 is formed with aninwardly extending lug l9, and through each of these lugs there ispassed a bolt member 20 that is received through an elongate slot 21 inthe lip 17 of the cooperating slat and is secured by means 22 to theinner face of the said lip. Each bolt 20 may be headed or may be engagedby a nut 23. In a manner as above described, it will be apparent thatthe slats constituting the roof sections are flexibly connected and alsoincident to the inclined surfaces 12 on the rails 10 over which the roofsections are arranged, the said roof sections will gravitate into thepockets 5.

The slats have their inner faces, opposite their lips 17, formed withlugs 24, and these lugs are designed for contacting engagement with theshoulders 15 on the rails 10 when the door sections are moved over saidrollers.

The outer or end slat of each of the door sections has secured to theouter and straight portion of the lip 17 thereon a board 25. Thesecuring means between the boards and slats are preferably in the natureof nuts 26 which are engaged by bolts 27 and the confronting edges'ofthe boards are formed with ton ues and grooves which are designed forco-engagement when the boards are brought against each other when theroof is in'raised position. The boards '25 provide the race boards atthe peak of an ordinary closed car and the width thereof is sufficientto allow the brakeinan or a car attendant traveling safely thereover.Also the straight portion of the top, to the opposite sides of the raceboard, serves as a guard for preventing any accident to the brakeman.This may therefore be considered an important feature of the invention.

Intermediate of the rails provided on the housings 6 there are removablyfixed on the top of the partitions 2, other and similar tracks 28. Thesetrack's carry anti-frictional rollers 29 that are provided withdepressions affording shoulders 30 for lugs 31 similar to the lugs 24and formed upon the inner faces of the slats that constitute the body ofthe roof.

The outer slats of the respective roof sections are secured thereon byeyes 32, and to these eyes there are secured chains 33 and 34,respectively. The chains are oppositely directed and are guided oversuitable grooved pulleys at the top of the housings (3, and are likewiseguided over other pulleys 36 at the lower sides of the housings. Thechains 33 and 34 are fixedly secured on shafts 37 and 38, respectivelywhich are arranged longitudinally along the sides of the car and arejournaled in suitable bearings 39. The shafts also find hearings in oneend of the car and project through bearings in the second end of thecar. On the last mentioned ends of the shafts 37 and 38 there are fixedratchet wheels 40, and outward of the said wheels hand wheels 41. Theratchets 40 are engaged by dogs 42 which are pivotally supported on theend of the car. By this arrangement it will be noted that theroofsections may be easily moved out of the pockets to operative or carcovering position. By swinging the dogs 42 out of engagement with thetoothed or ratchet wheels 40, the weight of the door sections will, aspreviously inferred, permit of the said sections gravitating into thepockets lVhen received in the pockets the slats constituting the doorsections will fold one over the other, 'as illustrated on the left handside of Figure 3 of the drawings. Of course, suitable means may beemployed for locking the dogs in engagement with the ratchet wheels, andadditional means may be provided for sealing the top when in carcovering position. I

It may be found necessary to lock the doors when in collapsed positionsin the pockets, and therefore I attach to the inner slat of each of thedoor sections a-fl'exible element, such as a chain 43 and pass the samethrough the flange or bottom 3 of each of the pockets 5. These chainsare also let through suitable openings in'the ends of the car and haveone of their'links attached to a suitable support, such as a hook or thelike. For this same purpose I may attach, adjacent to the top of each ofthe partitions 2, hinged plates 44, which are swingable against thesides of the partitions or over the pockets or compartments 5. Theplates 44 have their outer ends formed with knuckles that receivetherebetween an eye or knuckle 45 on plates 46 that are fixed to theouter faces of the sides of the car and designed to pass through theopenings in fill two parts.

the aligning knuckles there is a pin 47 secured by flexible means 4.8 tothe said sides oi? the car. i

In Figure 8 of the drawings, the construction is substantially similarto that previously described, except that the car 49 is provided with acent "al or intermediate housing 50. This housing has. its opposite endsopen and has arranged in the said ends rails similar to those previouslydescribed. The car 4:9 is, in this instance, ot a mate- 'isliy greaterlength than that previously described and is therefore arranged fortravel on the rails in the end housings 51 and in the intermediatehousing 50 two pair of root sections 5:2 and 53, respectively. The rootsections are constructed and operated in the same manner as previouslyset forth.

In the remainingfigures of the drawings, the housings at the ends of thecar 54: are similar to those previously described, but the intermediateguiding supporting rails for. the sectional top are each made up ofThese rails 55 and 56 are sup ported on depending webs or plates 57,which is true with respect to the intermedi. ate rails previouslydescribed. The webs 57 and 58 have their ends contacting when the railsare in alignment, and the web 57 carries a pivoted latch 59 to bereceived in keepers 60 on the web or body 58 for holding the rails 55and 56 in alignment. Each web 57 and 58 is pivotally secured, as at (ll,to the top of a bracket or traveler 62, The body portion of eachtraveler 62 is grooved, as at 63, and the said body portion of eachtraveler is received in a central channel G l on the outer face oi theplate members 65 which are suitably secured to but spaced from thepartitions that provide the outer walls of the pockets. The side wallsprovided by the channel 6d form tongues 66 that are received in thegrooves (33. The outer faces of the plates 65, to the opposite sides ofthe channel G l therein, are termed with rack teeth 67 and these teethare engaged by toothed wheels 68 which are fixed on shafts 69. Theshafts extend longitudinaly through the ends of the car and aresupported in suitable bearings. On one end of each shaft there is anoperating handle 70, and inward of the handle there is a ratchet wheel71 which is engaged by adog 72 that is pivoted to the said end o1 thecar. By this arrangement it will be noted that when the latch 59 isswung out of the keepers 60, after the top sections have been loweredinto their respective pockets, the tracks 55 and 56 may be swunglaterally with respect to the brackets or followers 62, and by operatingthe shaft the 'iollower member will be lowered into the car. The trackswill thus travel. against the outer faces of the plates 55. In thisinstance, it should be stated that the car 54 is of the ordinary flatbottom type and is employed for hauling lumber or like material. Byproviding the vertically movable tracks the necessity of entirelyremoving the tracks from the car will be obviated. This trackconstruction, may, of course, be employed in connection with the devicespreviously described. The means ll for holding the doors in theirpockets are especially desirable when my improved top is attached tocars which are tilted in the dumping thereof and it is believed that theforegoing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings will :tully set forth the construction, operation andadvantages of my improvement to those skilled in the art to which suchinventions relate. Maniiestly the invention is not to be restricted tothe precise structural details herein set forth and may vary therefromin size, proportion and other details which fairly fall within the scopeof the appended claims.

As disclosed in Figure 12 01' the'drawings, the end housings 51 may beprovided, adjacent to their outer corners, with elongated openings 66,whereby an injured slat constituting one of the root sections may beremoved and a new slat inserted through the said openings in place ofthe damaged slat. By this arrangement the root can be convenientlyrepaired and kept in proper condition. Also by reference to Figure 10 ofthe drawings, it will be noted that the inner members of the roothousings on the sides of the car are closed, at their bottom pnrtions,by hinged doors 75. By opening these doors any accumulations in thehousings may be removed therefrom.

Having described the invention, 1 claim 1-- l. The combination of anopen top car having a pocket arranged along and extending the length ofa side oi the car and a top member normally housed in the pocket andmovable over the car to provide a cover for said car, and said topmember being constructed of metal slats having oppositely disposedbeaded edges designed tor interengagement, and adjustable means :iorholding the beaded edges of the slats in interengagement. 8

2. A car root made up of metal slats hav ing their edges rounded toprovide oppositely directed beads and the beads of the slats designedfor interengagement, the inner beads oi the slats being slotted, boltmembers fitted to the outer beads of the slats, extending through thesaid slots, lugs on the slats through which the bolts pass and nutsscrewed on said bolts and contacting with the lugs.

3. The combination, an open top car having pockets arranged along andextending the length of the sides of the car, substantially archedhousings on the ends of the car,

a substantially arched rail carried by each ot the housings andprojecting inwardly vith respect thereto, anti-frictional ele} ments onsaid rails, flexibly connected top members designed to gravitate intothe pockets and the sections thereof to fold against each other when inthe pockets and means operable to draw the top sections out of thepockets onto the rails to cover the car and locking means for saidoperating means.

i. The combination, an open'top car having pockets arranged along andextending the length of the sides of the car, a housing having an inneropen face on the ends of the car, each of said housings including astraight top and downwardly inclined sides, inwardly arranged rails onthe housings shaped compiemental to the outer perimeter of the housings,each of said rails having a shouldered portion, anti-frictional rollerson each rail, top members normally disposed in each of the tracks, eachof said top members comprising hingedly associated metal slats havinginwardly directed lugs thereon and boards fixed to the outer slats, saidboards having their outer edges formed with tongues and grooves, meansoperable to raise the door sections out of the pockets onto the railsfor covering the car, the lugs on said slats designed to contact withthe shoulders of the rails for holding the door sections fromlongitudinal movement and the tongues and grooves of the boards designedfor interengagement when the top members are in car covering position.

The combination, an open top car having pockets at and extending thelength of the sides thereof, housings having inner open faces arrangedon the ends of the car and each of said housings having a straight topportion and angle sides, a rail in each housing shaped complemental tothe outer perimeter of said housing, othensimilarly formed removablerails disposed throughout the length of the car, top members comr in h sd y. o nected at erm lly housed in the respective tracks, a race boardon the outer slat of each door member, fleximeans connected to saidouter slats, gutdemeans therefor, shafts on which the en s of theflexible elements are secured, said shafts being operable to wind thefiexible elements thereon to draw the top members out of the pockets toarrange the same over the top ofthe car to cover said car, means forlocking the shafts from turning, and flexible elements associated withthe inner slots of the top sections designed to be attached to a supportfor holding the said top sections in taut condition.

6. The combination, an open top car having pockets along and extendingthe length of'tlie sides thereof, inwardly flanged housings on the endsof the car, each including a straight top and downwardly inclined sides,arail on the inner face of each housing, shaped complemental to theouter perimeter thereof, other similarly constructed rails disposedtransversely of the car at spaced intervals throughout the lengththereof, said last nention'edrails being constructed in cooperatingsections, means for holding the sections in alignment, means pivotallysupporting the sections, to perin'it of said sections being swunglaterally when the holding means therefor is released, means forvertically adjusting the rail sections when in last mentioned position,top members each comprising hingedly connected metal slats normallycollapsed and housed in the pocket, a race board on the outer slat ofeach top member, means for drawing the top members out of the pocketsover the tracks and to bring the race boards into contacting engagement,interengaging means betweenthe race boards when so engaged and meansholding the top members when arranged in the pockets and'when in carcovering position.

' In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

Tl-IOMAS ANDREW WILLIAMS.

